RENTON — Taniela Tupou made his NFL debut on Sunday in the Seattle Seahawks’ 12-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins. However, if Tupou wants to continue his NFL career, he’ll have to find a different avenue.
Tupou, a graduate of Archbishop Murphy High School, was waived by the Seahawks on Tuesday as they made room on the roster to bring back veteran fullback Will Tukuafu.
Tupou was one of two players waived from Seattle’s 53-man roster Tuesday, the other being cornerback Tharold Simon. The Seahawks signed Tukuafu and cornerback Neiko Thorpe to fill the spots.
Tupou has had a wild ride with the Seahawks since May. The Marysville native went undrafted out of the University of Washington, but he was invited to Seattle’s rookie minicamp with the intention of converting him from defensive tackle to fullback. Tupou showed enough that he was signed to the Seahawks’ 90-man offseason roster.
Tupou spent all of the offseason, training camp and preseason with the Seahawks, remaining on the roster despite suffering a broken knuckle that forced him back to the defensive line. He was part of Seattle’s final cuts as the team got its roster down from 75 to 53, but he was re-signed two days later to serve as the Seahawks’ fullback against Miami. Tupou appeared in 10 plays, seven on offense and three on special teams.
However, being waived after one game was always a possibility. Tukuafu, who spent the past two seasons with the Seahawks, was considered the likeliest candidate to serve as Seattle’s fullback. However, had Tukuafu been on the roster for the beginning of the season his entire veteran contract would have been guaranteed. By waiving Tukuafu before the season, then bringing him back a week later, his contract is no longer guaranteed.
Tupou is now available to be claimed by any other team, which seems unlikely considering he passed through waivers last week. Should he clear waivers he’ll be eligible to be added to any team’s practice squad.
The other roster shuffle Tuesday involved Seattle pulling the plug on Simon. Simon, a fifth-round draft pick in 2013, has all the tools the Seahawks look for in a cornerback, including a 6-foot-3 frame and superior athleticism. He was praised by the coaches for his performances during training camp and preseason.
However, Simon has been unable to stay healthy in his NFL career. He appeared in just 11 games the previous three season, missing all of 2013 and most of 2015 because of toe injuries. He was inactive for Sunday’s game against Miami because of a knee ailment.
The Seahawks replaced Simon with Thorpe. Thorpe, who went undrafted out of Auburn in 2012, has appeared in 37 NFL games: nine with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 and 28 with the Oakland Raiders in 2014-15, including two starts last season. He was part of Oakland’s final cuts this year, then was claimed and released by the Indianapolis Colts last week. Thorpe is another good-sized corner at 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds.
The Seahawks also made a handful of moves with their practice squad Tuesday, adding quarterback Jake Heaps, defensive end Tylor Harris and tackle Michael Ola, while releasing receivers Kasen Williams and Rodney Smith and defensive tackle Justin Hamilton. Heaps provides quarterback depth in practice with starter Russell Wilson nursing a sprained ankle. It’s a disappointing end for Williams, the University of Washington product who made the breakthrough into Seattle’s active roster last season, but was hampered by a hamstring injury during preseason.
For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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